


Little Miracles

by Fabrisse



Category: Crossing Jordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2827955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nigel is covering the overnight shift on Christmas Eve when bodies start coming in from a large pile-up.  Doctors Macy and Cavanaugh join him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Miracles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jordangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordangirl/gifts).



Nigel looked around the Coroner’s office. There was greenery and fairy lights around the windows, thanks to Lily, but it really didn’t brighten being on overnight duty on Christmas Eve. He’d volunteered for it. Doctor Macy had his daughter until noon on Christmas, Jordan was at her father’s bar, playing and singing with the band, and Bug had gone to visit relatives in India and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks.

He looked out the window and noticed the snow coming down harder than ever. If Bug were around, Nigel would have come up with a hundred things to do by now, but on his own it was harder to think of things. He looked at the scarf Lily had knit him, the CD of jazz classics from Doctor Macy, and the books by Oliver Sacks from Jordan. They really were a friendly office. He found a quiet spot, put on the CD, wrapped the scarf around his neck, and opened the first book. He hoped it would be a quiet night.

***  
Just before midnight, his hopes were dashed. The first body came in from a major pile-up on the Mass Pike and Nigel began the process of identifying and preserving it for autopsy. Bill Shaughnessy, the policeman who’d come in with it told him there were at least twenty cars involved, and he wasn’t sure anyone would be alive in the middle cars. 

Nigel nodded. “Happy Christmas.”

“Yeah,” said Officer O’Shaughnessy as he put his gloves back on to fight the cold.

Nigel picked up the phone and called Doctor Macy.

Once that was done, he called Max’s bar and asked him to let Jordan know, too.

***  
“Nigel.” Doctor Macy strode into the morgue. “How many do we have?”

“Only four so far, Doctor Macy, but that has more to do with how difficult it is for people to get through to the accident scene. We’re expecting at least eight more, and with the ones we already have we’ll run out of space if we get more than that.”

“At least it’s cold. If we have to, we can create a little storage in the back just by opening a few windows.”

“Hi Garret. Hey, Nige. Looks like we’re busy.”

Garret shook his head. “Christmas Eve. What do you want to bet that whoever caused this is alive and blowing an impossibly high reading.”

“I was going to put ten bucks on cocaine, myself,” Jordan said. “It’s true a drunk’s more likely to lose control, but someone who’s been snorting is more likely to speed in this weather.”

Garret said, “I’ll cover that bet.”

Nigel looked at them both. “I’ll put in twenty that the driver of the lead car has a perfectly clean tox report.”

“Twenty it is,” Jordan said, “I’m going to enjoy taking your money.”

“Well, enjoy it later. Right now, I need you to help Nigel identify and tag. I’m going to call the hospitals to see if they have any room in their pathology labs for our extras.”

“Sure, Garret.” She headed to her office, and when she came back said, “So, Nigel, where do you need me to start?”

***  
Two hours later, their final body came through. Nigel shook his head when he saw that she was pregnant. He began the process, and then thought he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. When he looked in that direction, he didn’t see anything, so he went back to filling in the paperwork. Then he saw the movement again.

“Doctor Macy!”

“What is it, Nige?”

“Jordan, I think she might still be alive.” Nigel stepped back and let Jordan begin an exam. 

She listened to the chest, with a puzzled look on her face. “She’s dead, but…” She moved the stethoscope down and glanced up just as Doctor Macy came in. “Garret, I think the baby’s still alive.”

He tossed her some iodine swabs and said, “Start sterilizing. We won’t have time to do a full scrub.”

Jordan nodded and ran the swabs over the poor woman’s abdomen while Garret got on a gown, mask, and face cover. Once he was gloved, he nodded to Jordan and started to cut while she did a basic scrub and got herself into the same outfit.

Less than twenty minutes later, there was a cry in the morgue and Nigel came back into the room. He saw Jordan weighing the baby.

Garret said, “Do we have an identification on the mother, Nigel?”

“Her name’s Layla Carson. And a Jonathan Carson is in the drawer behind you. I’ve been looking through their effects to see if there’s anyone to call, but...”

“Thank you. Did you call an ambulance?”

Nigel shook his head. “I called Boston General. All the ambulances are tied up. They’re on a skeleton staff and with the accident.”

“We can take her to Boston General ourselves, can’t we, Garret?”

“Looks like we’ll have to.”

“Nigel, bag the effects properly, but make me copies of the paperwork for Layla Carson. I’ll take it along to the hospital and let them know we have the effects and possibly another relative here.”

“I take it I should call to let them know you’re coming?” Nigel said.

Jordan took some of the cloths Nigel had brought earlier and created a makeshift diaper for the little girl.

Garret nodded. “Let them know that she’s a newborn and that we don’t know how long she might have been without oxygen.”

“And tell them that the cold may have been the reason she lived,” Jordan added.

“Will do.”

Jordan began pinning together some of the other cloths to cover the rest of the baby.

“Ever want one?” Garret asked.

“Sometimes, but I don’t think I’m the maternal type.” Jordan held the child close. “Even so, I’m pretty sure we need to wrap her in something warmer.”

Nigel came back. “I thought the same thing.” He held out the scarf. “You know Lily will approve of this.”

Garret smiled. “Yes, she will. Come on, Jordan, I’m going to need you to take charge of Layla junior there while I drive. I promise I’ll get you home afterward.”

Jordan handed the baby to Nigel whose eyes went wide with surprise. “I need to get my coat,” she said.

“Will she be all right, Doctor Macy?” Nigel kept gazing at the tiny being in his arms.

“It’s impossible to know, Nigel, but I’m certain she’s a fighter.”

Jordan came back and took the child. She kissed Nigel on the cheek and said, “Merry Christmas.”

Nigel said, “And ‘God bless us everyone.’”


End file.
